All across the City of Peoria children are completing pre-school. As local parents thoughts turn toward kindergarten, they are sure to be faced with a great deal of uncertainty about where to start their child to school.
District 150 is currently in the process of constructing community learning centers. In the near future, parents can look forward to birth through eighth grade community learning centers at Harrison and Glen Oak and a birth through 4th grade community learning center in the Woodruff attendance area.
We all know that the logistics of being an involved parent can be daunting when your children attend two or three different schools. These centers will provide a place were toddlers, their parents and their older siblings can have access to education and resources in one location.
It is said that 85% of our brains develop during the first five years of life. Therein lies the tragedy in the current pre-school situation – public education efforts don’t begin until a child is six years old.
Even though District 150 does not currently service pre-school age children, they have long standing relationships with local pre-school and head start programs. These programs for pre-school age children and their parents receive funding through the Early Childhood Education Block Grant. The Block Grant was created by combining the following programs: Preschool Education, Parental Training and Prevention Initiative.
The community learning center concept is bound to impact local head start and pre-school program funding. However, the consolidation of services and access to early education that community learning centers can provide is integral to the District’s attempts to level the educational landscape.
To illustrate the current logistics of services, locations and funding of local pre-school and head start programs, we can take a look at Peoria's Children and Early Learning Experience at Rogy’s and PCCEO's HeadStart :
Peoria's Children and Early Learning Experience at Rogy’s - Special Programs headed by Kathie Raiborn.
Rogy’s Learning Place provides child care services in the Peoria and Bloomington areas for infants through school-age children. Rogy’s also provides State Pre-K programming at 5 out of 7 Peoria facilities. (Rogy's actually has 18 facilities in five central Illinois communities, four in the Chicago area, and two locations in Ohio)
Rogy’s Learning Place provides child care services in the Peoria and Bloomington areas for infants through school-age children. Rogy’s also provides State Pre-K programming at 5 out of 7 Peoria facilities. (Rogy's actually has 18 facilities in five central Illinois communities, four in the Chicago area, and two locations in Ohio)
PCCEO HeadStart - headed by McFarland Bragg.
The mission of PCCEO Early HeadStart is to provide family-centered services to economically challenged families with children 0-3. These services are designed to enhance the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development of the children; to enable parents to fulfill their roles as parents; and to help parents move towards self-sufficiency.
The mission of PCCEO Early HeadStart is to provide family-centered services to economically challenged families with children 0-3. These services are designed to enhance the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development of the children; to enable parents to fulfill their roles as parents; and to help parents move towards self-sufficiency.
Both PCCEO HeadStart and Rogy's receive the following funding:- State Early Childhood Block Grant from IL State Board of Education
- State Child Care Assistance Program through contract with IL Dept. of Human Services
- State Child Care Assistance Program through local Child Care Resource & Referral Agency certificate program
- Other: CACFP, Local Funders (Community Foundation), IDHS Enhancement Grants
- Federal Early/Head Start (Rogy's Small Wonders receives this)
- Parent Fees (Rogy’s charges parent fees)
Pre-school education is a lucrative business, paid for in large part by tax payer dollars. It is past time that school Districts stopped outsourcing these important services. Community learning centers will provide much needed oversight in the areas of getting children and their parents ready to learn.
Related information:
Shared Responsibility to Help the Most Vulnerable Kids
Early Childhood Program Matrix
Great info on this site - State developed standards and quality indicators for birth-to-three programs, which are aligned with standards for pre-k and elementary school
Shared Responsibility to Help the Most Vulnerable Kids
Early Childhood Program Matrix
Great info on this site - State developed standards and quality indicators for birth-to-three programs, which are aligned with standards for pre-k and elementary school
9 comments:
Kids who have been identified with special needs also qualify for Birth-3 services. A lot of times,though, those students aren't identified until they enroll and begin attending kindergarten. How great would it be to help these children 3 years earlier?
Pre-Kindergarten can be a win-win situation for all involved.
That is an excellent observation Rix.
I also think that earlier interaction with parents to help learn how to deal with a child's discipline issues and learning how to be a part of the team with the teacher is MAJOR.
The Pre-K effort will make a real difference for a lot of families.
Agreed on all counts. The early interaction with parents is an extremely important "missing piece of the puzzle." District 150 is missing an opportunity (since it got rid of home ec classes, etc.) to teach parenting skills to young mothers and fathers (because they are sitting in 150 classrooms). Until pre-school becomes mandatory, there will be too many children--often the ones who need it most--who will not take advantage of current opportunities (or are not financially able or eligible for funding. Years ago I worked as a Head Start counselor--even then not all eligible parents enrolled their children. The fact still remains that no matter what happens in the time a child is in preschool (usually half a day) or even in primary grades, what happens in the child's life the rest of the day, on weekends, and in the summer is still more important than what happens at pre-school. The wrong things inadvertently taught at home can negate any teaching done in school--certainly true where discipline is concerned.
Emerge - I totally agree, but was admonished by a fellow Board member for asking questions about the current over-sight of these programs (PCCEO?), their cost structure, efficiency, etc. Mr. Bragg mentioned the last time I spoke to him that over 1000 pre-K children lack pre-K services in Peoria. Knowing what we know about early nurturing, that, to me, is inexcuseable. As Peorians, we should develop the mantra and capability to state that ALL of our children have the opportunity and EXPECTATION for pre-k learning services and that all children arrive at kindergarten with a certain skill set.
For years PCCEO has had the funding and the charge. What are the results? Do we see it in more informed parents, or children better prepared for school?
Interesting that Rogy's started their program without approval from the District. There are a lot of discipline problems coming to Kindergarten with children who attend Rogy's. Again, they are getting hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) in funding with no oversight.
It is time to review the pre-school headstart arrangement here in Peoria. IMO, these programs are failing dismally.
I being a former employee of
Rogy's have been in the position of teaching these children. I was told on several occassions that I was not there to teach them their ABC's or how to count or spell their names. I was there to teach them social skills. How to get along with their peerss. If they learned all that other stuff in process that was a plus. I have had parents come to me and tell me how hard a time their child had transitioning to kindergarten and how hard of a time they were having trying to get that child to adjust. But in Rogy's defense Kathie Raiborn is a true advocate for the children who believes all children have a right to learn.
As Mr. Duncan and President Obama begin overhauling the education system, they need to consider the inclusion of pre-k education in their decision-making, and not just for at-risk children. Most European countries offer early education opportunities to all their citizens, regardless of income. Pre-school/daycare is an expensive proposition and a hardship on young families. When our children were young I worked full-time and so needed full-time care for my children and wanted that care to be education-based. It cost a fortune!! We were daycare poor even though my husband and I had good employment. At one point our monthly care cost was more than our mortgage.
Jim and Emerge, you are correct, more oversight and questions need to be asked.
I believe even the S.T.A.R.R. program focuses mostly on socialization of pre-schoolers, although some skills are taught. I do believe that both social and academic skills could be taught. The problem, of course, is that children who are taught pre-school learning skills are then going to be ahead of their kindergarten peers who didn't go to pre-school, etc. So either they start out behind or the others get bored learning skills they have already learned in pre-school. For example, my cousin's children went to pre-school at the hospital where my cousin is a nurse--it was excellent. If the children hadn't learned so much in pre-school, I don't think they would have been prepared for Peoria Academy. Therefore, we need mandatory pre-school.
Shouldn't be anonymous--hit button too soon.
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